Clamp for brazing or similar work.



G. R. STURDEVANT.'

@LAMP F011 BRAZING 0R 'SIMILAR WORK.

APPLIOATONTILBD JULY 9, 1910.

Patented sept. 12, 1911.

S E 8 8 fw... T W lv ATTORNEYS ENITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

'CHARLES E. STUEDEVANT, or WORCESTER, MAssAcH'UsEETs, AssIeNoE To THE AMERICAN s'rEEL e WIRE or NEW JEEsEY.'

coMEANY, 0E HoEoKEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 'CLAMP FOR BRAZING 0R SIMILAR WORK.

Looe-,941.

specification of iet-ters Patent. Patented Sept. 12,1911.;

Application illedj July 9, i910. Serial No. 57`1,169.

The apparatus `is simple, veasily manipu lated and capable of various adjust-ments to adapt it for the best work.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodimentl of the invention. p V

Figure 1 is a side elevation, part-ly in section, showing the apparatus applied. to the brazing of' a terminal of a bond upon the sideface of the head of a rail. Fig. 2 is 'an end elevation, partly in section. Fig. 3 is an inside face elevation of the lower part of the member carrying the electrode. Figs. 4, 5 andl 6 are respectively sectional views of details on thelines 4, 5 and 6 of Fig.. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a means for extending the electrode holding mem-ber,v Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the preferred form of electrode.,

Referring to the embodiment of the invention illustrated the apparatus comprises a pair of cast copper members A and B adapted to clamp upon the work. The mem- '....ber A is-supported by two universal joints consist-ing of links yC connected by pivots D and E' at right angles to each other with arms F constituting parts of a support which may be carried by a car and which forms the subject matter of a se arate pending appli'- cationy for patent. T e member is provided with sockets G and the member B with `sockets H whereby each of the. members is connected by two branches with 'one oi?- the opposite terminals of atransformer or other source of current, the twomembers being i'nsulated from each other as hereinafter d'escribed". The member A bears against the inner face' of the head of the rail J and the -member E carries a carbon electrode bean in against a terminal L ci the bend and who dingA the latter against 'the outer, lace of the rai head. A flux? and loraz'in alloy is Cintredl'ice. between the terminal L of the bond and the head of the rail. The current being then turned on passes through the bond terminal and the rail andbrazes the terminal to the head of the rail.

The two members A and B of the clal'm'p are movable, one relatively to the other, either upward and downward, or transversely toward or away from each other. Also they may be adjusted angul'arl'y one relatively to the other. Means are provided for effecting these various adjustments i' readily and easily.

The relative vertical adjustment is eil''cted f by means' of the adiustinglscrew M threaded through the head N of the member B and swivel'ed at its lower end in a sl'id'e 0 which carries a block P swiveled on a horizontal pivot and through which 4is threaded a horizontal' adjusting screw Q fastened to the member The screw Q., block P and sli'd'e O are, as far as vert-icalv movement is con'- cerned, substantially fixed parts of the meinber A, and the ver-tical adjusting screw M xisattached thereto so that the turning or' it causes the shifting of the member B` upward or downward. The screw Q also an ad- Justmg screw, for a transverse vadjustment for the members toward' or away from' each,

other at their upper ends'. The forcible pressure upon the upper 'end' of the member 'B needs to be i'n the-outward direction only so as to press the electrode at the lower end forcibly against the bond' terminal; the iiiwa-rd; movement of the upperend 'being unresisted so that i't may be effected through the en 4agement of the screw M with the head" the' screw being connectedat its lower end to the transversely adjustable slidfe @i The u'per end ofthe-member B is provided with a socket R, the outer face oi. which is'formedi with' a slot S' through which -the ad'ffustin screw Q asses freelv and1 the 95 g g P inner .t'ace of which is entirely open to permit'the introduction ci? t'he slide 0. The slidei's adapted to have a vertical adjustment in the socket to secure the desired vertical' adjustment, and' when the adjusting screw Q is properly turned hears against the outer wall of the' socket so as to press the outer end or the member 'B 'out-ward and' its' lower end inward', The adjusting screw @j basa swivel' connection with the collar T which is fastened rigidly upon the member the socket. a.

A but insulated therefrom in any usual or suitable way. v

'Thev lower adjusting screw U is threaded through a nut V which is keyed in the lower part of the member B, the inner end .of the screw being held by a strap W fastened upon and insulated from the member A and having a vertical slot X through which the end of the screw passes, the screw having a head on its inner end of greater diameter than the width of the slot and having flat faces Y which prevent it from turning in the slot, while permitting vertical movement. This lower adjusting screw U will ordinarily be used as av clamping screw. The adjustments, vertical and transverse, at the upper end being set beforehand for operation upon an intended length of railway track.

All the connections are comparatively loose so as to avoid friction and to allow the member B to turn easily through a limited angle about its vertical axis, as well as to permit the angular adjustments in a vertical plane.

The electrode K is of carbon and becomes quite hot during the operation and some heat will be conducted back into the su )porting metal. Means are provided for disposing of this heat or a great part of it to prevent its communication back to the connecting cables in the sockets H. For this purpose numerous comparatively thin webs or plates Z are provided ou the outer face of the part. of the member B between the elect rode and the cable-sockets, which webs act as radiators to carry away the. heat from the metal. The webs may be provided with holes or otherwise designed to, increase the ventilation or exposure to the air.

A very simple and eiiicient means is provided for attaching the carbon electrode to its supporting member. The lower end of -Ihe supporting member B is provided with un under cut socket a extending laterally across its inner face and slightly larger than the flared outer face of the electrode K and shaped to permit. the introduction of a thin wedge 7) between the top or bottom of the electrode and the corresponding wall of The wedge is of highly conducting metal such as brass and once driven in place holds the carbon firmly, being adapted, however, by a simple blow of a han'n'uer to be withdrawn for the replacement ot a burned out carbon. `Ttisimportant to have simple inexpensive. means for connecting the carbon to its support because the carbon oxidizes and wears away quite rapidlyand has to be replaced 'frmueutlyn rVhc wedge can be driven in with any degree of tightness so as not only to secure a firm hold, but also to provide a very etlicient electrical contact between the carbon and its support. The design ot this connection secures a high contacting efficiency also trom the fact that the current can pass into the carbon on three sides insuring a minimum loss of electrical. energy and a minimum waste of carbon by exposed surfaces which oxidize at the high temperature used.

lVhere it is desired to braze the bond terminal to the web of the rail, or for any 'other reason to extend the electrode carrying member, this may be done by means of the extension iecec, Fig. 7, havin@ an upper end shaped li ze the electrode to ft into the socket a of the member B and to be fastened therein by means of a Wedge b and having its lower end provided with a socket a for the carbon K and wedge b.

The elect-rode K may be of the ordinary carbon type unprotected on its faces. Preferably, however, the oxidizing of the carbon is greatly' retarded by applying to all the faces or to the more exposed end and top` and bottonrfuces a coating of'copp'er. This may be a quite thin and inexpensive coating electrolitically deposited. It'not only gives greater durability to the carbon, but also makes a better contact face than would be provided by the uncoated carbon.

Fig. 8 shows an electrode with smooth metal-coated faces. This manner or" protecting the faces has the advantage of automatically wearing away as the Face of the carbon is burned away and recedes .toward the back of the holder.

Though I have described with great par- 'ticularity of detail a certain specific embodiment of my invention, yet itis not to be understood therefrom that the invention is restricted to this specific embodiment illustrated and described.

Various modifications may be made in detail, and in the arrangement and combination of the parts by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention.

What I claim is 1. An apparatus of the class described, including in combination a pair of members adapted to clamp upon the work, and a longitudinally adjusting screw rotatably attached to a. part of one of said members and having a threaded engagement with a part of the other i'or shifting one of said members longitudinally relatively to the other.

2. An apparatus of the class described, including in combination a pair of members adapted to clamp uponthe work, and a longitudinally adjusting screw rotatably attached to a part of one of said members and threaded through a. part of the other for shitting one ol said members longitudinally relatively to the other, and means for effecting transverse :uljustmeut between said members.

n apparatus ot the class described, including in combination a. pair of members adapted to clamp upon the work, and means for independently adjusting the respectivev other.` j

, 4. An apparatus of the class described, including in lcombination a pair of members l incassi. I

'ends of .one of said members".towardv and away from thelcorresponding endsofthe other so' as-to adjust both their'angular relation-and4 their separation from; each other,

',said adjusting means .comprising at each end'a single screw rotatably attached to' a.-

part 'of' one or said lmembers and havingv a --threaded engagementjwvith a. prtet' the,

`Aand B,a slide O, one of said parts B and O beinginovable relatively to the other in a longitudinal direction, and one or" said parts A and O being movable relatively to the other in a transverse direction, and

vscrews directly lconnectintfjr such members A and B respectively to the slide 0 for effecting such longitudinal and transverse move'n ments.

.5. An apparatus ofthe class described, in-

cluding in combination a pair of clamping` members, a pair of adjusting screws con- -necting the upper and the lower ends respectively or" said members togetherand perlinitting adjustment of both the angle and the separation between said members and a` vertically adjusting screnT for adjusting` one.`

of said inemiers vertically relatively to the z other, each of said adjusting screws being rotatably attached to one of said members and having a threaded.engagement with a part of the other.

6. A. bringing-.apparatus of the class described, including an electrode of carbon logies of'this patent may be obtained fe -With a coating of metal .applied to the 'Sur- 1 'i'. A b'razing: apparatus of the class scribed7` including an electrode of carbonl .'Withy an electrolitically applied coatinghof.

copper thereon. v l

8. .An apparatus of the class described, i1icl'uding; a holder-'for a Ibrazingl 'carbon' hav ing a recess Vin lits face, a carbon having al rear vportion fitting in said recess, and a Wedge between .said rear port-ion'of the carbon and a Wall of the recess for holding the carbon firmly in 'placca-nd with good'contact.-

9. An apparatus of the class described, in,- cluding a holder for a brazing carbon having a socket adapted to surround the back 'and two of the side taces of the carbon in signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing` Witnesses.

CHARLES R. STURDEVANTL Witnesses: j KENNETH B. HALSTEAD, D. ANTnoiYr URSINA.

vs cents each, by afl-dressing 4the Commissioner of Patents. ashington; E. G. 

